Asphalt-aggregate compositions have found great success in road construction and particularly high quality road surfacing. For example, asphaltic concrete is an especially useful and widely used composition consisting of carefully proportioned mix of course and fine aggregate, and mineral filler where required, coated with asphalt. The composition provides a surfacing of exceptional durability and is widely used for heavily trafficked roads, airfield runways and the like for all types of climatic conditions. The composition is laid and compacted while still hot, normally in two or three layers where thick surfacing is required or in a single course for resurfacing.
Although such asphalt-aggregate compositions yield roadways having relatively long life, and which may easily be resurfaced for increased longevity, old roadways become abandoned from time to time due to new highway construction. In other circumstances old asphaltic concrete surfaces may be removed and the road base reworked or improved and a new surface laid, or parking lots removed for buildings. In any of such cases, it is common practice to simply tear up the old asphaltic concrete surface and haul it away to a dump or other remote location. Yet, such used asphalt-aggregate composition are seemingly indestructable and will not deteriorate substantially even after many years. Further, the old compositions still contain substantially all of the asphalt of the original composition as well as the aggregate although some aggregate sizes may have changed somewhat due to fracturing over years of use. Some additional aggregate in the way of sand or rock may also be present.
Costs involved in removing the old discarded road surface materials to dump sites are high due to the bulk and weight. Moreover, large areas may be required for dumping the accumulated and non-deteriorating material. In addition, such disposal sites are most unsightly. In other words, the abandonment of asphalt-aggregate compositions is simply contrary to good ecology practice as well as a waste of valuable natural resources. Accordingly, it is considered most desirable to attempt to recycle and reuse the compositions containing both mineral aggregates and petroleum or natural asphalt. It is to the elimination of waste of such resources as well as in the interest of ecology and as an important advance in the continuing extensive and costly roadway construction that the present invention is directed.